OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City boys swim team learned a bit about itself in its season opener. The Raiders topped Vineland 118-52.
“We weren’t sure what we had coming into this. We have some young guys,” head coach Shane McGrath said. “Vineland is always a well-coached team and is always solid.
“I’m pretty happy with our first meet performance. We had some guys who dropped time from last season already. We had a school record with Tommy Armstrong. (100 backstroke),” McGrath said. “Our B and C relays excelled, but I told them not to get too big of a head because we have a long season and we have to build off of this.”
The coach said the team was a little disappointed with its overall season last year, finishing 7-6, but he acknowledged that team was young after graduating some 10 scoring seniors. “That was hard to replace,” he said.
“What we have now … I think we’re a solid team, we have a lot of depth and should be able to battle most teams pretty well.”
Asked about the swimmers he is expecting to lead his team, in addition to Armstrong, he mentioned sophomore Wilson Stauffer, who had a great year in 2023-24 “and is really hitting the ground running this year”; and Arthur Flukey “who can swim every stroke.” He also pointed to his sophomore class including Keenan Neumann and Mihail Mosendz.
“I could probably go on and on. It’s probably the most depth I’ve had in a while,” McGrath said. “We don’t necessarily have the center lane across all the events. I think we can score in every race.”
The Raiders won the South Jersey Group B sectional title in the 2021-22 season and came ever so close in the 2022-23 season, losing to Mainland 87-83 after a double-disqualification in one event changed the trajectory of the meet.
“There’s always the one goal. We want to win the South Jersey. That’s our crown and jewel,” McGrath said. “That’s the goal, but obviously we want to drop time, get fast.”
There is a bigger picture as well.
“Our slogan this year is ‘a higher standard,’” the coach said. “We just want to be better people and across the board create young athletes who will use the skills they learn here to be great adults.”
OCHS 118, Vineland 52
Armstrong, Neumann, Stauffer and Matthew Bell started off the Vineland meet by winning the 200-meter medley relay in 1 minute, 56.8 seconds. Teammates Mosendz, Flukey, Jack Howard and Cameron Mattern were third. Vineland’s Drew Mainiero, Tyler Chong, Nick Mainiero and Thomas Masucci were second.
Mitchell Zapping (2:16.21) and Alex Hanson finished first and third in the 200 freestyle with Vineland’s Dom Mercado second, and Armstrong (2:20.45) and Flukey went 1-2 in the 200 individual medley. Masucci was third for the Fighting Clan.
The Raiders then swept the 50 freestyle. Bell won in 25.66 seconds followed by Jack Scherbin and Colin Schweim to give the Raiders a 46-16 lead at the break.
Stauffer won the 100 butterfly in 1:05.22 with Chris Garrabrandt third and Vineland’s Nick Mainiero second.
Bell (58.68 seconds) and Scherbin went 1-2 in the 100 freestyle with John Gallo third for Vineland.
Masucci (4:40.43) won the first event for the Fighting Clan in the 400 freestyle. Ocean City’s Mosendz and Mitchell Zappone were second and third.
The Raiders then put more distance between themselves and the Fighting Clan by taking first, second and third in the 200 freestyle relay. Stauffer, Neumann, Schweim and Scherbin won in 1:50.71 followed by teammates Liam Koch, Anthony Buonadonna, Jack Tracy and Jack Howard in second and Mattern, Garrabrandt, Flukey and Zappone third.
Armstrong then set a school record in the 100 backstroke, finishing in 59.99 seconds. The time on the record board at the Ocean City Aquatic and Fitness Center was Armstrong’s time from 2023: 1:02.62. Nick Mainiero was second for Vineland and Alex Hanson third for Ocean City.
John Gallo won the 100 breaststroke for Vineland in 1:16.41 with Ocean City’s Stauffer and Neuman second and third.
Raiders Bell, Hanson, Scherbin and Armstrong finished the meet with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:02.61 with teammates Ryan Slaven, Zappone, Joe Mayan and Mosendz third. Vineland’s Mercado, Drew Mainiero, Masucci and Nick Mainiero were second.
The Raiders were hosting Egg Harbor Township Tuesday after the Sentinel sports section went to press. Ocean City hosts Southern at 4 p.m. Friday and on Dec. 17 will travel to Mainland for a 4 p.m. meet.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
